FIFA 17: Top 20 La Liga players
FIFA 17 is set to release in a just a few weeks and expectations are sky high. With the new Frostbite engine, the game is set to get even more lifelike and intense and fans are counting down the days until its release.
The official ratings were released a few days ago(Messi fans look away for a bit) with Cristiano Ronaldo finally pipping Messi to the top spot. As expected, Barcelona and Real Madrid both rule the roost with over 6 players each in the top 20 roster released by EA on Monday. There are however a few surprising entries as well.
Also read: Top 20 Premier League players in FIFA 17
#20. Marcelo: 86
Marcelo had another great season at Real Madrid last time around claiming the UEFA Champions League title. Not the paciest player around, Marcelo makes up for it with his great defensive ability as well as his dribbling talent. One of the few defenders with a 4-star skill rating the Brazilian will be a great pick at left back for any team out there.
#19 Jordi Alba: 86
Like Marcelo, Alba too had a standout season last time around and played a major part in Barcelona's La Liga success.The Spanish left back made 6 assists last season which contributed massively to his 2 point boost from FIFA 16.
#18. Pique: 86
Another Barcelona defender on the list, Pique had a very solid season last time around and played a key role in their Copa Del Ray success after the sending off of Javier Mascherano. Probably one of the best out and out defenders on the planet, the Spaniard also possesses great aerial ability and with a one point boost from FIFA 16, he sits pretty with a rating of 86
#17. James Rodriguez: 87
James has been overlooked by Zidane this campaign and was linked with a move away from the club before finally deciding to stay and fight for his place. The Colombian was extremely effective in the few appearances he did make for Los Blancos last campaign. In 17 La Liga appearances, James scored 7 goals and provided 8 assists. With high shooting and dribbling skills, James is the ideal attacking midfielder to have.
#16 Karim Benzema: 87
Back to back Real Madrid players on the list sees Benzema occupying the 16th spot with a rating of 87. The striker was overlooked for the French squad that reached the EURO 2016 finals but he played a huge role at club level scoring 24 goals in 26 league games.
#15 Sergio Busquets:87
Many will be surprised by the Spaniard’s high rating but boy has he earned it. The only defensive midfielder on this list , Busquets’ incredibly high defensive abilities mean he will be a hard player to try and get past as he shields the back four.
#14 Ivan Rakitic: 87
Yet another Barcelona midfielder makes his presence on the list, this time in the form of Croatian midfielder Ivan Rakitic. Rakitic too was linked with a move away from the club but after a successful season running the midfield for the La Liga champions, he sits pretty on a rating of 87.
#13 Jan Oblak: 87
The only goalkeeper on the list, Oblak came into his own last season at Atletico and has been rewarded with an 87 rating. Oblak boasts 90 handling and 87 positioning making him one of the top keepers in the game.
#12 Toni Kroos: 88
Kroos did not have a great 2015/16 La Liga season but did just enough to maintain an 88 rating. The midfield maestro has a pass rating of 88 which is easily the highest among the La Liga players. With a 5 star rating on his weaker foot as well, Kroos would be ideally suited to players who play a quick passing game.
#11 Pepe: 88
Pepe was a part of the Real Madrid squad that won the Champions League. He was also one of Portugal’s best players in their EURO 2016 campaign and has seen one of the biggest ratings’ rise in the game. From just 84 in the previous edition, Pepe is now an 88 rated defender and is well worth every point.